The Cards of Darkness: Alice
by Aka.Neko13
Summary: Four cards. Five persons. Their awakening only means one thing, destruction. How will the four Trump Kingdoms fare under this threat? A Cardverse AU inspired by "Alice Human Sacrifice". Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

_Year X777_

 _To whomever this letters reach:_

 _These letters contain all of the information that I have gathered about a special kind of cards, more malevolent than the Jokers themselves, the tainted cards known as the "Alice Card"._

 _This story may be regarded as an urban legend during your time, a tale to keep children from being out in the dark, but I tell you, this story is pretty much real, and not made up. A story about 5 people from the four Trump Kingdoms, and I, Arthur Kirkland III, as the Queen of the Spadian Empire, shall tell you of the stories and encounters I, or my fellow Queens (they have the unusual trait of showing up to a Queen) have experienced._

 _We have won, but only for a limited time. They will come back, and you need to stop them. In the letters are the ways that we theorise that will end them. May you be enlightened by these series of epistles that I have hidden from my idiot, but loving King._

 _-Queen Arthur Kirkland III of the Spadian Empire_

"Arthur! Where are you, man? Let's go, the Jokers are causing a mess again. Are you in your room? I'm coming in, ok?" A voice the Queen knew all too well rang out. He placed all of the letters he has compiled for the last three months, placed them inside a box made of mythril wood and orichalcum, and sealed it with a time magic that will send the box to any of the Royal Cards years to the future and keep the contents pristine.

He sent the box on its way, and exited his room, "No need to come in, love. Let's go?"

* * *

Year X887

"King Ludwig! Look! A shining treasure box! Ludwig hurry!" A jolly voice beckons King Ludwig V of the Hearts Kingdom. The king trudged to the person calling him, a petite man with auburn hair, and a curl to the side of his head that doesn't seem to go flat whatever you do. As he walked near, the man pulled him closer.

"What is this now, Jack Vargas?" he asked the man.

"I saw a shooting star in the middle of afternoon! Isn't it weird? A shooting star in the afternoon! So, I followed it to the meadows, and saw this small crater with that small shining treasure box in the middle, and a Spadian magic circle disappearing! Maybe this is a message from Queen Arthur, seeing that King Alfred is only proficient with some time magic, unlike Queen Arthur who knew almost all magic! Well, except the bloodline magics, like our Queen's powerful healing magic, or the King of Club's death magic and powerful curses, or my family's extreme speed magic. What do you think, your Highness? Do you think I can learn other magic as well?" the Jack of Hearts, Feliciano Vagras, said in one breath.

The King, who was used to this, made his way to the crater, and indeed, a small box is in the middle of the crater, what took his attention the most is the Spade insignia on the lock; it was the design for the Spadian Kingdom coat of arms more than a century ago, when it was still known as the Spadian Empire.

"Feli, you need to take this box to the castle, and have Kiku examine it, meanwhile, I'll call the others for an important meeting, can you do it?"

"Of course, your Highness. I will make haste," the Jack said, his face as serious as the King's. He took the box, chanted the spell for their family's bloodline magic, and sped directly to the castle.

Ludwig remained at the meadow, wind fluttering around him as he observes a big, dark cloud heading towards his kingdom, "A dark cloud is coming, how shall our kingdom fare? Better call the others." He said to himself when he felt a chill, and his Royal Mark on his left hand glowed.

"You need a messenger?"

"We are the fastest!"

"We are the stealthiest!"

"Even the Vargas family will be left behind."

"We know you need us now."

"Come, King Ludwig, call us out."

"Allow us to help you."

"Remove the seals."

"And let us out."

Ludwig turned around and saw two shadowy forms, the shadow of the two beings, whose souls are sealed within himself and their body in a room in the Hearts castle, so as to keep the peace between the four kingdoms, the heralds of mischief, the Jokers.

"And after you've delivered the message, then what?" Ludwig asked, his voice seething with hate.

"We'll help you against the Alices." The smaller Joker replied, his voice a distant echo, "They're our fault, and we want to let them rest… forever."

"Your fault? Is that box related to what you did for almost all of your time, immortals? What does this mean? Answer me, now." Ludwig ordered.

Now, it's the larger of the two who answered, "Whoa, slow down, man. First of all, I'm your ancestor, so have a bit of respect. Yes, I'm a Beilschmidt. Next, that box is not directly related to us, Queen Arthur III sent that on his own volition, and that means that the seals on the five are weakening. You'll find the answers to your questions in the box. Now, would you please release the seals? We won't cause mischief, we promise."

Ludwig sighed, "Fine, I'll release the seals, but if you step out of line, I'm putting an irrevocable seal on you two."

Whispering a litany of words, the King of Hearts' Royal Mark glowed brightly. For every three to four words he said, chains connecting the Jokers to the Royal Mark and to the room in the Hearts castle where they were sealed, materialise. After shouting the last word, all of the chains break, and the shadows in front of him disappeared momentarily, only to be replaced by two persons, a blonde and a silver-haired male.

Clad in black clothes, with tails wrapped on their right leg, the two of them landed in front of the king and knelt. The smaller blonde looked at the King straight in the eye, "Our king, at the bottom of our hearts (the silver-haired snickered), we gratefully thank you for releasing us from our bondage." At the second instance the silver-haired snickered, the blonde slapped him with his tail, and looked at him with anger in his eyes. The blonde coughed and looked at the king's eyes with a pang of guilt, and continued, "Please forgive him, in all of the Jokers that I have ever worked with, this one's a handful. And as promised, we, the Jokers Peter Kirkland and Gilbert Beilschmidt, won't cause mischief and destruction, and will help you destroy these entities whose cards have been tainted."

"Good. Now, you know what I want. With your illusionary and space-time magic, you could make it to the other three kingdoms with ease, am I correct?"

The two of them stood up, and bowed, "Of course, your Highness. Now, we're off," and with a poof, the two of them disappeared.

As he walked back to the castle, Ludwig spoke softly, "As I've feared, a dark cloud is indeed coming; not only to my kingdom, but to all of the Trump Kingdoms. May the Lord guide us all to safety."

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/n: Hej! This is Aka-kun! Goodness, this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fanfiction. I hope that it turned out good. The plot for this fiction just popped up my brain when I saw a photo of the Nordics, and somehow, I remembered it and quickly wrote it. I may suck at this, so a review will be a good way to tell me where I've sucked. Thank you for reading, and wait for the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

While the King of Hearts was talking to the Jokers, his Jack was closing in on the palace. Upon reaching the gates, he forced himself to stop, "Open the gates, please! I have something important to give to the Queen!" He shouted to the ones guarding the gates.

The guards looked down from above, and quickly recognized who it is. After a few seconds, Feliciano was speeding up again. Noticing the clock upon taking a left, he quickly changed direction going to the throne room to the solarium; it's the Queens of Hearts and Spades' tea time.

Stopping at the front of the door of the solarium, Feliciano straightened his clothes and his wind-swept hair. When he deemed himself presentable, he knocked at the door, "Your highnesses, I have something of grave importance to discuss with you." A few seconds passed, and the door opened by itself (actually, by a magic that is set to open when the person inside says so). Entering the room, the Jack was met by the scent of snapdragons, roses, vanilla, and poppies.

An oriental man in regal clothes walk towards the Italian Jack, and snapped his fingers in face of the Jack, who seems to be engulfed by the scent and colours of the flowers in the solarium. When the Jack snapped in attention, he smiled and addressed the Italian, "Jack Feliciano, to what honour do we have to have you grace us with your presence?"

"Eh? You're too formal, Kiku! Oh yeah, by the way, good afternoon Arthur!"

The Queen of Spades, Arthur Kirkland VI, only looking at the two Hearts as they're conversing with each other, noticed something, "Feli, what are you going to say to Kiku? You look drained; have a cup of tea first," and offered the Jack a cup.

"Thank you, your Highness. This is what I was about to discuss," he said as he took the teacup, took a sip from it, and showed to them the box that the king and he found. "We found this box on the Western Meadows. King Ludwig believed that this came from the Spadian Empire times. Oh, Queen Arthur, since you're here, can you confirm that this box indeed came from your place?" he then hand the box to the Queen, who was shocked by what he saw.

He inspected the box. Twirling it around he confirmed that it came from their former empire, "This is indeed from the Spadian Empire times, during the reign of Queen Arthur the Charmer," he confirmed. "But what piques my interest most are the spells that was casted on this box."

The Queen then pressed the Spadian coat of arms that is embossed on the lock, and all of a sudden, their Royal Marks started to glow. From the box, a floating rectangular panel of light appeared; with all of the 14 Trump Marks displayed. Three of them are glowing brightly with their respective colours, while the others are black and are lacklustre.

Creating a bubble around the box, Queen Arthur proceeds to inspect the spells that is in the box. After a few seconds of fiddling with the bubble, he had discovered something. "It seems that this box contains traces of magic from all four kingdoms and the Jokers," he explained.

"Traces of magic from all our kingdoms?" Kiku asked.

"Yes," Arthur said with a nod, popped the bubble, and pressed the coat of arms again, returning the box to its original state, "It's part of a spell known as "Multiple Bind" where two or more persons give a small amount of their magic, and a person called a 'Binder' creates a magical lock made out of the other's magic and his own. The only way to unlock it is when the persons with the same magic it is made are near the object. It's a spell made by Queen Arthur the Charmer to hide vital information."

"It appears that the box will open if all the royals and the Jokers are present within the vicinity of the box, for we have some of their magic in us," Kiku commented.

"Yes. But why would the Queen do that? The four kingdoms were still not united at those times."

"Ah! I've read about it before!" Feliciano said, "It was the times when the Kingdoms were said to be united by one cause."

"The Alice Hunt?" Arthur asked, quite confused. "That's just a fairy tale, Feli."

"No. I saw a genuine record that came from the Kingdom of Clubs. It's a journal owned by Queen Elizaveta the Gallant."

"The Queen of Ships? Where did you discover such item?" Kiku asked, his eyes twinkling.

"In the Royal Diamantine Bank. Kept under lock and key, my Queen" Feliciano said.

"Oh… oh. So I cannot get my hands on it then?" Kiku's thrilled look quickly deflated.

Feliciano, seeing his Queen go from overjoyed to gloomy, laughed, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, your Highness. I found the journal in the Royal Library of the Kingdom of Clubs, under the 'Quintet Peace Era' section, lodged between the books wrote by King Ludwig's 'White Furies, a novel based on the White Furies of the North' and Eduard Galante's 'A Tale of the Trembling Giant, a biography of Raivis Galante the Coward'."

"Kiku, Feli, can we focus at the task at hand?" Arthur said, his tone a bit annoyed.

"Ah, I'm sorry for that, Arthur. Now, we need to gather the others right? We need to make haste, then," Kiku said but was surprised by the person who answers him.

"There's no need bro, they're already at the conference room. Y'all need to get your asses over there with the box right now," Gilbert Beilschmidt, the silver-haired Joker, said.

All three of them looked to where he is, floating above them while in a supine, and hands behind his head, much like he's lying down, and his tail is swinging lazily, "We've just transported all of them to the conference room. You three are the only one's missing, so hurry up and get a move on!" he barked to the three surprised Royals. Gilbert exaggeratedly sighed, and petted a small ball of fluff on top of his head. The fluff stirred, and tweeted, 'a bird?' the three thought, but dare not say, for they're not sure on how to act in front of a Joker. The bird flew from the head of the Joker to his shoulder, and tweeted again. "Could you teleport the three of them to the conference room, Gilbird? It seems that they're too impressed by my awesomeness," he haughtily said.

The bird tweeted in reply, flew to the three, and pecked them on their forehead, and in a blink of the eye, the three of them are now standing inside the conference room of the Hearts castle. They were surprised by what they saw, all of the Royals are here, and the Jokers as well are present (including Gilbert).

"Now that we are all here, we can start the meeting," King Ludwig's booming voice echoed around the spacious room, "But before we start, Queens Kiku and Arthur, and Jack Feliciano, please join your fellow Royals. Jokers, you seat to your designated places too."

All of them followed the king. And when everyone's settled in Ludwig stood and addressed all of them, "Royals from the constituents of the Trump Kingdoms, the meeting for the re-establishment of the Alice hunt, is now formally open."

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/n: *is dying* I am sooo sorry I took a long time to update, with our finals week here, I was super busy, I can't get a good night's sleep. I was sooo happy I could finish this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it… Reviews are accepted with a giggling Aka-kun…


	3. Chapter 3

"Why are the Jokers here? I thought they were sealed? What does this mean, King Ludwig?" Queen Arthur said after he took a seat next to his king. He eyed the whole room, all of the Royals are seated around a circular table, and the Jokers are seated next to the Hearts, as if it's normal for them to sit at a meeting, albeit the silver-haired one has his feet up the table.

"This meeting concerns them as well, so I have them unsealed for the moment. But rest assured, they won't do any mischief," Ludwig replied calmly.

"Are you sure, aru? I could still remember the things that they've done to our kingdom. And don't forget the curse that they've put on my family, ARU," the Jack of Spades, Wang Yao, said. The curse he meant is his family's verbal tic; his family is ridiculed because of it, but had mellowed down after the Wang family took hold of the Jack position again after a few years of non-involvement to politics.

"That curse is a blessing to people who doesn't know the difference from the Wang family to the Kiku family, be happy that the awesome me bestowed that to your family," Gilbert said lazily, "Also, y'all need to thank me for bringing you here."

"I'm not thanking a troublemaker," the Queen of Clubs, Elizaveta Herdevary, said sternly.

"Oho, the tomboy queen's acting up again," Gilbert said, provoking the Queen.

"You wanna fight, punk? I can take you on alone!" the Queen said as she pointed a frying pan at the direction of the Joker.

"Come on, then! I'm not afraid of a girl!" the Joker said as he took his trident and pointed it at the Queen.

The two of them are ready to fight and are preparing strengthening spells (the two's specialty) when a gunshot echoed throughout the room. Everyone looked at the direction of the source of the sound and was not surprised when they saw the Jack of Diamonds pointing a gun at the direction of the two fighting persons. He gazed at everyone in the room, and settled in his seat, unfazed.

"Everyone, please, can we focus on the task at hand?" he said with a stern voice.

The Queen and the Joker returned to their seats, and King Ludwig coughed, "He's right, thank you Vasch."

"Don't mention it, by the way, your order will be here within a fortnight," the Jack, Vasch Zwingli, said as he sat down. Nobody asked what the order is for they know that the Jack sells quality weapons.

"Again, you have my thanks. Now that everyone's settled in, please no more horsing around or I'll be forced to do certain things," the king said calmly, which sends chills to the others, "We are gathered here because of one thing, a box that came from the Spadian Empire times was found earlier by Jack Feliciano," he motions at Feliciano to stand up.

Feliciano nodded and placed the box on the table as he stood up, "Yes, here is the item in question. A box made out of mythril wood and orichalcum, items known for their capability to store magic for a long period of time."

"Rare materials that even in our mines and forests are hard to find? This is quite interesting, Jack. What is inside the box?" the King of Clubs, the infamous Grim Reaper King, Ivan Braginsky, asked.

"We haven't looked into it as of now, for it is sealed by a magic known as 'Multiple Bind'. But Kiku theorise that it could be opened, for as everyone knew, for 'Multiple Bind' to be lifted, the donors of magic must be present, and we all have them, the magic of the previous Kings, Queens, and Jacks. The Jokers are an exception for they are immortal."

"We are not immortal, my dear nephew, n-times removed, we simply don't age. We could be killed even by a simple stab of a knife to the heart," the Joker Peter Kirkland interjected, "But please, do continue with your explanation."

"Yes, we believe the contents are in relation to the thing that happened during the times that Queen Arthur III, also known as the Charmer, and Queen Elizaveta I, also known Elizaveta the Gallant, were the ones ruling, along with Queen Lili II, nicknamed the Pure Queen, and Queen Kiku IV, also known as Kiku the Just."

Everyone, except the Jokers, Kiku, Feliciano, and Ludwig was not surprised; every one of them asked the same question with wide eyes, "That box is connected to the Alice Hunt?"

"Yes, it is related to that, actually, if the Jokers are correct, it contains information about a special kind of card, that only appeared twice, during the Great Purge, and during the Alice Hunt, five cards bathed in darkness, the Alice cards."

Now, everyone looked at the King and the Jokers, shocked by the information that they are given. "Are you sure about that, Ludwig? According to legend, the cards that appeared during the Purge were destroyed by the Four Grand Wizards, who became the first Kings, and the Alice Hunt is just a fairy tale," the King of Diamonds, Francis Bonnefoy, said.

Queen Elizaveta shook her slowly head, and spoke, "The Alice Hunt is no fairy tale, Francis, its true. I've seen real records of it, most notably, the journal of my namesake, Queen Elizaveta the Gallant. It is stated there that they'll turn the Alice Hunt into a fairy tale to appease the masses, who, even though how much they tried hiding it, found out. They covered everything up, but the Kingdoms left records, and she also mentioned a 'beam of hope' from the Spadian Empire. My guess is that box is the 'beam of hope'."

"So, we have to open it to see if it is our 'beam of hope'," Ludwig said with a sigh, "I don't think a vote will be in order, yes?"

"Let's see what's inside! I'm so excited to see what it is!" King Alfred F Jones of the Spades said, looking up from his phone.

"I want to know as well, please," came the squeaky voice of Queen Lili of the Diamonds.

"I have no qualms on opening the box," Jack Roderich of the Clubs said, followed by a snicker from Gilbert, who was silenced by a slap from Peter.

When everyone had agreed, King Ludwig nodded and said, "It seems everyone agrees. Queen Arthur, if you please."

Arthur nodded and pressed the embossed coat-of-arms. Every eye was glued to the box as the panel of light erupted from the symbol, and unlike last time, all of the Royal Marks on the panel are glowing, and so are theirs. In an instant, a thin thread of light formed from the Marks to the lock, and like Ludwig's chain seal breaking, the threads broke one by one, staring from the Spades King down his Queen, and Jack, next the Diamonds, then the Clubs, after that, the Hearts, finally, the Jokers. When all of the threads are broken, the panel of light disappeared and the lid opened, revealing its contents.

"Aw what? Letters? I thought it would be something cool like a holo-projection of the Queen or some shit, this is so not Instagram worthy," Alfred said as he took a peek.

Irritated, Arthur smack Alfred's head, "Be serious for once in your life, Alfred. We are not here so that you could just take selfies and post them on social media sites."

"But Iggy, people love seeing their handsome King's selfies! I know you love 'em too! Don't deny it! I saw you once talking to m-uuumph!" was all Alfred could say after a blushing Arthur covered the his mouth.

"I am not doing what you think I'm doing, you bloody git! Stop daydreaming, please!" defended Arthur, who is now as red as the roses at the Hearts castle gardens.

King Ludwig coughed and the two of them promptly returned to their seats, one of them blushing and the other is all smiles. After everyone has settled back again (Kiku and Elizaveta nosebleed so hard that Lili must heal them before the two black-out from blood loss), Ludwig took the topmost letter and read it*. After reading it with all eyes and ears on him, he placed his hands on the table with a rather loud _thump_. "Queens, you must be vigilant for the time being until we have solved this. Now, seeing that each letter had a coat-of-arms from each kingdom, we must assume that each letter correspond to each kingdom. You must read it and understand it very carefully, follow it until the last period. Kings and Jacks, I infer that the Alice won't show up if anybody is with the Queen, so you be stealthy, don't stick too long with your Queens, but you must be near, so you could protect them, are we clear?" he said with much authority.

Everyone agreed to Ludwig's plan. After the meeting, all of the Royals we're sent back to their kingdoms, courtesy of the Jokers, and was given one letter. In them, the origins, strength, and the reason why each card was bathed in darkness are written. As time whittled down, Year 888 approaches, all of the Royals were preparing for the day the Alice cards would be awakened. The second Alice Hunt has begun.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

* refer to first chapter opening lines for the introductory letter.

* * *

A/n: USUK! USUK! USUK! USUK! UUUSSSUUUKKK! Ok, now that's out of my system, the main story is about to happen! I may not be updating next week for it is our finals… But rest assured, I will have made a good story (or a good plot) after that. One thing's for sure though, the Blood-Red Alice of Spades will be first! Can you guess who the first Alice is? Oh yeah, reviews are very much accepted for those are my drugs…(edited ver.)


	4. Chapter 4

_Spades Castle: Library  
_ _January X888_

"Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…" was the only sound that could be heard inside the grandiose library of the Spadian Kingdom. A single person was there, buried by the tons of books that littered the table and the ground. He flits from book to book, too preoccupied to notice a figure creeping up behind him.

"Artie! You're still looking for clues in the books here?" the person creeping in said as he draped one arm on the person. Said person jumped with surprise, and nearly punched him.

"Alfred! For Heaven's sake, don't creep up on me!" Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades, said with a hand on his chest.

"Sorry, dude. You've been searching for clues here, right?" Alfred Jones, the King of Spades, said as he took one book and skimmed on it before placing it back, "So, how was it?"

Returning to the book he's reading, Arthur replied, "Nothing yet. All of these books are saying the same thing, "The Alice Cards are tainted cards that were made to defeat the First Empress Alice, but were sealed by four powerful wizards, and after half a millennium, the seals on them were removed, the Great Purge, as it is known now. Peace reigned until the seals were broken again and were re-sealed during the Alice Hunt, but no proof if the Alice Hunt was real or not."

"They really did cover thing up huh? But who the heck is the First Empress?" Alfred asked, which gained a raised eyebrow from Arthur.

"Idiot, you don't know who created the Trump Kingdoms?" Arthur asked.

"Nope, not one idea about it. Tell me, please?"

Arthur just sighed at his King's ignorance of their history, "Look, there are four kingdoms in this continent, right? But long ago, there was just one, and that's the White Empire, ruled by an empress named Alice. Not much was known about her, for it was said that she's quite secretive, but it is known that she united all the warring tribes who lived in this continent, using her brains and magical prowess. Her empire was a paradise, or as the books described it. She ruled with fairness, and appointed four powerful wizards to rule over the four major regions of her empire; on the South, where the current Hearts Kingdom is, Lord Rubeus the Ruby One; on the East, where the Clubs now reign, Lord Emero the Emerald One; on the West, where our Kingdom is situated, Lord Sappix the Sapphire One, and on the North, where the Diamonds reign supreme, Lord Topio the Topaz One. The four of them became the first Kings, with their respective gems inserted on the crowns of the kings, which also hold part of their magic which is infused to the King."

"So, that's why we have to wear the crown always," the King interrupted.

"Just once is enough, as I've been told. Now where was I? Oh yes, the empire was prosperous for a very long time, until they appeared. The Alices wreaked havoc throughout the empire, and the Empress, along with the Four, sealed the Alices. But, along with the five Alice sealing, is the weakening of the Empress, who used too much of her magic. At her deathbed, she called the Four, and gave their regions autonomy, and appointed them kings instead of administrators. I believe you know what happened next?"

"Each of the kingdoms prospered, and lots of things happened that led to the present?" Alfred said, unsure of his own answer.

Arthur gave a small nod, "Yes, but what eludes me is the involvements of the Jokers."

Alfred just shrugged and walked out of the library, "Dunno. I'm tired with all of my duties I can't think of other things now. I'm goin' to sleep."

"And I'll stay here for a few hours," Arthur said and buried his nose on another book.

"Don't push yourself too hard. I'll ask a guard to stand guard at the door and not let anyone enter so that you can concentrate," Alfred said as he walked out of the room.

A small smile crept up Arthur's face as he read the book he's holding, grateful for his King; he may not have the most agreeable attitude, but his love for his citizens are true, which Arthur admired the most. He kept on reading and reading until he did not notice that he felt asleep and dreamed a dream that made him scream until his voice became hoarse.

* * *

 _Darkness enveloped the place as Arthur opened his eyes. It was silent all around him, save for the sound of trickling water in the distance. He tried to create light, but he was surprised when he felt no magic in him, which scared him a bit. He tried walking to the source of the sound, and as he walked farther, he saw a small light. Deciding to see what made that light, he ran towards it. The light grew bigger and bigger as he ran, until it had engulfed him, and he felt he was transported to another place._

 _When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a large room. He looked back, and saw a large, intricately decorated chair, 'A throne room', he thought. He was about to walk when the door in front of him opened, and a tall blue-eyed man with spiked blonde hair entered. The man walked towards him and knelt to the ground._

" _My Empress, I have something to report," the man said._

' _Who the bloody hell is he talking to?' Arthur thought. He tried to ask the man, but instead of his voice, a voice of a woman spoke,_

" _What is it, General K_ _ø_ _lher?"_

 _Arthur was surprised when he noticed that his mouth moved in time with the voice. He tried again, but his mouth would not move. He tried to walk away, but it felt like he lost command of his own body. The man stood up and spoke,_

" _We have intelligence that some people from the Romantia tribe are planning to have an armed rebellion in the West. Lord Sapphix is planning to capture the leaders of the rebel force and end the rebellion before it will happen."_

" _Sapphix always plans one step ahead of his enemy, as always. Is that all, Matthias?" the female voice asked._

" _Yes, your Highness," came the man's reply._

" _Well then, support the Lord with all your might, for the peace of this empire."_

" _I will protect the peace that you've given unto us," the man said as he knelt down again._

 _Another blinding light engulfed the whole place and Arthur was transported to another place. This time, he is standing in front of a man, who is standing in front of a heap of unknown material. He looked around the place and he saw a village burning on his right, people are screaming from his left, and a cliff at his back. He looked back at the man at his front, his back facing Arthur. He tried to call out to the man, but before words could leave his lips, the man turned around. Arthur was shocked, it was General K_ _ø_ _lher._

 _The general had a maniacal smile on his face, his hair dishevelled with spots of red and black, and on his coat, a viscous, red liquid dripped from the hem. Arthur's eyes grew wide when he realized that the heap in front of the man are dead bodies, and the red liquid is blood. The man walked slowly towards Arthur, dragging a big axe on the ground; Arthur wanted to run away, but his feet won't obey him._

 _When the general approached Arthur, he knelt down on the ground and spoke, his voice is just as maniacal as his smile, "Your Highness, the insurgents have been dealt with. Peace will now reign in this area, and throughout the whole empire."_

" _Wh-what are you saying? Why did you do this?" Arthur asked the man, not sure why he did it._

" _Because they've resisted against the Empire, Highness. I want to protect the peace you've given to us," K_ _ø_ _lher replied as he stood up, and something gleamed from his left hand, a red Spade mark, "I will protect the peace of our empire, even if I have to paint the ground red."_

' _He's the Alice of Spades', Arthur thought and as he opened his mouth to speak, a strong gust of wind blew, fanning the fire and illuminating the whole place, and what he saw shocked him: the bodies that lied at the back of the general are his friends' bodies, all of them mutilated and almost unrecognizable. Arthur held back a scream, and pointed at the mangled heap of bodies, "Who… are they?"_

 _"The insurgents, your Highness. They possess strange magic, and I listed them off as threats and killed them," the man replied with a triumphant smile, this time Arthur did screamed._

* * *

Arthur woke up with a start and was panting. He immediately ran out of the library, not minding the inquiry of the guard, and headed directly to the Royal Chambers, where the Royals' rooms are located. There are a few people walking around the empty halls of the castle, and when he reached the first, and grandest, door, he flung it open.

Treading slowly inside, Arthur hoped no one entered the room he is in now. He took a peek at the sleeping man as soon as he was near the bed, and sighed gratefully when he saw that two blonde, the King and his half-brother, are sleeping comfortably in the bed. He placed a kiss on their foreheads before leaving the room and proceeding to his own.

When he reached his room, Arthur instantly took the pocket watch on the table, which grew 10 times its size when he applied magic to it. He then chanted a spell for a timed-message orb, and after whispering the last line, a glass ball floated in front of him with the words 'Speak now.' floating in front of the orb. He took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and began to speak, "Queens, I request for a meeting at the Old Empire's castle at Alliance Hill later this afternoon. I will contact the Jokers to transport you to the meeting place. The seal has been broken, the Alices are now moving. Everyone, be careful, and have a strong body, mind, and heart. End message, send to Kiku, Lili, and Elizaveta." He then sent the orb, which divided into three, out the window and on their way, hoping that the message will reach the Queens.

 _To be continued..._

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A/n: I'm sorry if I haven't updated Alice for quite some time because I was busy with school work. Updates will be irregular and slow, but I will finish this.


	5. Chapter 5

A/n: Soooo… Matthias is the First Alice… HOW CAN I DEPICT HIM AS MURDEROUS AND A BLOODTHIRSTY PSYCHOPATH!? HE ISH TOO KYUUT AND HOT (in my opinion)! This chapter will be like an intermediate from the first fight… which I have no experience whatsoever… I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the story as a whole…

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Lili Zwingli, the Queen of Diamonds, was standing in front of her room when she saw him, a person clad in black. She approached him slowly; silently preparing defensive spells if the need arise, for her brother, the Jack, always reminds her to be prepared for every situation. She was a few meters away from the man when he stood up straight, stretched his hands upwards, and looked at the Queen with a smug grin.

" _Gott_ , you took so long! I was waiting for you here since one! Go freshen up, little bird and I'll take you to the meeting place," the man said as he opened the door to the Queen's room. Lili walked slowly past the man, still wary of his presence. When he noticed this, his grin turned into a soft smile. "Don't worry, little bird, I'm not gonna hurt ya; but hurry and freshen up, the meeting starts in thirty minutes," he reassured her.

Lili noted the man's smile, ' _He's not dangerous_ ' she thought. Giving a smile, she curtsied and walked fast into her room. Entering the wide walk-in closet, Lili changed her usual gown for the more regal Queen's regalia, said to have fabrics from the Empress Alice's clothes. After a light make-up and a change of her trademark pink ribbon to an orange one, she hurried outside her room, where the man still stood, now apparently talking to a bird that is perching on his hand.

"Did you already transport that tomboyish Queen to the castle?" he asked the bird, petting its head. The bird gave a soft chirp and the man smiled. "Good. Now, all that's left is you, Queen Lili."

Lili jumped back a bit when the man looked at her, a smug grin on his face and the bird on his head. When she saw that the man had a tail and was holding a trident, everything clicked on her mind, the person in front of her is the Joker who provoked Queen Elizaveta, Gilbert Beilschmidt. She walked slowly towards the man and gazed at those ruby eyes of his, which somehow, captivates the Queen. "Are we going now?"

Gilbert nodded and held out his hand, which the Queen tentatively took. The grin on the Joker's face became wider as the whole place became covered in a blinding light. "We are."

When Lili opened her eyes, what she saw took her breath away; a grand castle atop a hill, and around it was a wide meadow with all kinds of flowers blooming. The Queen was stunned with the view, until the Joker besides her pulled her a bit and she fell back to reality. She looked at the Joker sheepishly and whispered a sorry.

Gilbert chuckled and led the Queen to the castle. It was a bit of ways from where they teleported, but because of the seals that were placed around the hill, not one person can use magic around the hill. The two of them walked at a fast pace, with Gilbert leading the Queen by the hand. When they've reached the palace doors, Gilbert pushed the mahogany doors ever so slightly, and they parted to show the grand staircase leading down a grand ballroom. With one look, no one would think that this was the castle where the Empress Alice led her people in the past. The two of them descended the stairs and went directly to the middle of the ballroom, where four decorative tiles depicting the Trump Kingdoms were laid. Gilbert pointed at the tile having the one with the Diamond coat-of-arms, "Stand there, little bird, and you will be transported to the Topaz Tower. The way to the conference room is at the middle door. Don't take the other two doors, for they are traps that were set by the Kings."

Lili did what she told, and at the moment she stood at the tile, orange light engulfed her whole body, and she was again teleported to another place. When she opened her eyes, she was now alone in a small room. Peering from the huge window, she could see that she is on a tall tower. Looking at the opposite direction, she saw three doors, and, heeding the silver-haired Joker's advice, took the middle door.

Behind the door was a long pathway, and at the end of the pathway was another door. Thinking that she might be late, the Queen hurried down the long, open path towards the conference room. Upon reaching the door, she gave it a slight push, and it opened up to show a big room. In the middle of the room is a round table with four seats, three of them are currently occupied by the three Queens from the other kingdoms.

It was Queen Arthur who first noticed her. He stood up from his seat and bowed towards her, "Queen Lili, I am thankful for your presence this afternoon."

The Queen curtsied and took her seat. "Am I late?"

The Queen of Clubs replied to her question, "Oh, no dear. I came here a few seconds before you. Kiku-chan and Artie came a few minutes before me."

Lili sighed as she placed her hand on her chest. And when everyone had settled in, Arthur stood up again and bowed his head. "Queens, I thank you for accepting my request for a meeting. I have called everyone here for one reason only… The Alices are on the move, the Hunt begins."

Every eye is on Arthur, and on their faces is only one expression, dread. They were silent for a few moments, until Kiku raised his hand, "What makes you say that, Arthur? Did you see anything?"

"A dream," was the only thing Arthur said.

"A dream?" Elizaveta asked, questioning.

Arthur took a deep breath and shook his head as he sat, "A nightmare would be most fitting, actually, a very dreadful nightmare that I don't want to see again."

He told everyone of his dream, not letting even a single detail slip. All of them are silent after he had told everyone what he saw, but this silence was broken by Lili.

"Um, may I share what I think of what happened to Queen Arthur?"

Arthur nodded, "Please do."

"Okay, so what I think is that we are reacting to the Alices' awakening and having these prophetic dreams to warn us of their coming. Or maybe there's a time-delayed magic on us that activates when the seals on the Alices start to break."

"Is it possible, Arthur?" Kiku asked after a few moments of silence.

"It is," Arthur replied, "Dream magic is quite advanced, but if the caster is a Queen, it will be quite easy to set up dreams to appear on a certain date. But what amazes me is that the Charmer set these dreams 110 years in the future, I mean, with all of my magic, plus the Queen's watch, I can only set dreams 20 years in the future; he must be using a more advanced magic tool to amplify his magic."

"Ah!" Lili suddenly gasped when Arthur finished, "There's a tool that I know that could possibly do that!"

"What is it?" the three chorused.

"The Royal Trump Cards."

The three Queens looked at each other. "The Royal Trump Cards are gone, dear. There's no way we could ever use those," Elizaveta said.

"I may know where they are," Lili said with determined eyes.

"Where?" the three chorused again.

"Deep in the Diamantine Vault, is a secret door. I don't know where it leads, but legends say that a treasure lays dormant there. I'm sure that it's the Royal Trump Cards."

Elizaveta was supposed to say something when a voice cuts her off. "You don't need to go there. I already have them here."

The four Queens looked up to where the voice came from, and they were surprised when they saw the child-like Joker, Peter Kirkland, holding what seems to be a fourth of a deck of cards. He floated down to the Queens and gave them three cards each. "Those are the Royal Trump Cards that was hidden in the Diamantine Vault for protection, as it is the most powerful weapon you Royals have. We Jokers are the only ones that can access the door to where they were stashed."

"But why only you? Why not the Diamonds?" Elizaveta asked.

"It is because it's one of our works, to safeguard the magical tools created by the Empress. Now I will tell you something important; the Alices were once immortal beings, that's the reason why the Charmer could not finish them off, but now, they are not." And with that, the Joker disappeared.

They were dumbstruck for a minute for two reasons: one, they don't have one explanation on why the Joker could use magic on a dead zone, and two, the information that was given to them was too good to be true. The four of them silently decided to leave the matter of the Joker for next time; but then, out of the blue, a piece of paper appeared from above and slowly fell down on the middle of the table. Kiku took the paper and read out loud its contents, "I am the only person who can use magic inside the seal made by the Empress because I was her trusted messenger."

"Well, that explains a lot," Elizaveta said with a huff.

"Indeed. But I'm still not sure if we could trust the two of them," Kiku said, re-reading the letter he has on his hand.

"Why is that, Kiku?" Arthur asked.

The Queen of Hearts placed the piece of paper on the table and looked at the others with a stern expression, "After the meeting we had back at our castle, King Ludwig told me his conversation with the Jokers when he unsealed them, one particular line stood out, 'They're our fault, and we want to let them rest… forever.'."

"So what you're saying is, they're the ones who created the Alice cards, and now wants to destroy them?" Lili inquired.

"We don't know yet, Lili-san, but we must infer that their involvement in this hunt is way deeper than any of us. Anyways, Arthur-san, is that all that you'll share to us?"

Arthur nodded, "That is all. I advise everyone to master how to use these cards, and to be vigilant, for we are the closest to the Empress, whom, if I may assume, the Alices are drawn in. Meeting adjourned."

The four Queens stood up immediately after Arthur adjourned their meeting. They looked at each other in the eye, bowed, and promptly turned around and walked to four different doors; taking them back to the Towers, and to their kingdoms.

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

After the meeting, Arthur immediately returned to the Spades castle. Locking himself up in his room, he took the letter of the Charmer from a drawer and opened it. He read the first one, and was immediately surprised by what he read:

 _Dear Queen Arthur,_

 _I know you are confused as to why I know what name you'll use as your name when you become a Queen. Well, the answer is just simple; I came from a line of soothsayers, and the last one with such power. I have peered into the future, or your present, and saw that the seals that we have placed over the Alices are weakening, and as you are reading this, are starting to break. The dream you saw is a warning I have placed on each of the seals. But before we talk of the Alice of Spade, let me tell you a story._

 _This is a story before the empire was born. War ravaged the land, many people died from all of the tribes that called this continent their home. Almost all of the tribes fought, except one. The White Rabbit tribe sought peace, and one of them is Alice, a young girl with immense power and knowledge. She tried to appease the four tribes around their territory, and was successful; the birth if the Confederate of Peace was formed. With the four sages from each tribe, they protected their territory and peace reigned. It was after some time that the Confederate, a neutral power, decided to stop the war. The sages and Alice created a being, using their powers, the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit is an intelligent being filled with magic. Using the Rabbit, the Confederate won the war, and the White Empire was established._

 _Years after the war, something weird happened. The place where the Rabbit was stored was opened, and the deactivated Rabbit, gone. Everyone searched the castle and the adjacent lands, but the Rabbit wasn't found. Months after the disappearance, killings were reported on every part of the Empire, four methods were found to be used on the killings: mutilation, hypnosis, hallucinogens, and the last one is weird, the people just disappeared, only to reappear cold as ice, and no life to them._

 _The Empress, distressed, called upon the four sages, now the Lords of the four Autonomous Regions, and asked them about what is happening. The Lords told the Empress this: "Our Empress, light of the Empire, we have found the cause of the mysterious killings. Five persons, five dark hearts, four tainted cards… They call themselves… Alice…" The Empress then saw for herself the Alices, as they showed up the night after the Lords visited the Empress. The Empress was shocked, for it is her loyal servants who became the Alices: General Matthias Kølher, Berwald Oxenstierna, Tino Väinämöinen, Emil and Lovice Bondevik. After fighting with them for a year and a half, the Empress, along with the Lords, made an incredible magic, the first High Magic ever made, 'The Seal of The Four', and sealed them each on specific locations. Thousands of years later, the seals were weakened, and the Alices were freed from their prison, it was the Alice Hunt._

 _Because of our knowledge of the Purge, the first time the Alice appeared, we defeated them in a span of six months. They were immortal, but I've felt that they have been weakened due to the effects of the seal on them. This letter is getting quite long, I'll continue on the next page._

After reading, Arthur immediately took the next page and read it intently, wondering how the former Queen could fit all of those words into one 9 inches wide and 11 inches long paper, even though its quite obvious that the former Queen's handwriting is quite miniscule.

 _This is the next page_

 _Now, I will go to what you want to know; The Alice of Spades. The Alice of Spades is a general of the army under the direct control of the Empress, and in your dream, a bit of his past was shown. The reason why he became an Alice is ambiguous, but the Jokers told us that they were related to the disappearance of the White Rabbit. We tried to ask them more, but they were tight lipped._

 _Now, the Alice of Spades, his name is Matthias Kølher. He is, according to what I know, a brash, loud-mouthed person, but his loyalty to the Empress is immense. He was thought to be KIA during the fight against the Romantia rebels, but in your dream, you saw him there, right? Alive and well. The fight against Romantia was about a year long, and he disappeared about 3 months after the fight started, then after about 6 months, members of the Romantia tribe were decimated quickly. I theorized that the ones doing the killings were Kølher, seeing that all of them have been mutilated, much like a very big axe tore their bodies to shreds. His weapon of choice is a big two-sided battle axe. You might think he depends on his strength, but he is a fast one. His weakness is that, other than being a melee fighter, his attacks are uncoordinated, and he tends to off his enemies one by one. A great tactic is that one must draw his attention away from you, Arthur, for you are the one who will destroy him. I presume that Peter gave you the Spades Trump Cards? Those Cards are pretty important for you, for you see, those Cards were made specifically to seal the Alices. On how to use them, the Cards will show you how, for my knowledge on the workings of those tools are still lacking, but one thing that I knew is that they only work with the magic of the Lords infused to the Kings (who are their direct descendant of the Lords) and the Jacks (who are chosen to office by the Kings), and the Queens, who had the magic of the Empress infused into them._

 _One final thing to say, my dear boy, is that you must trust no one, save the Queens and the Jokers, for the Empress Regalia can detect malice and evil intent in a person, and the Jokers have been living for so long. This is the end of my letter for you. May you succeed in defeating the Alice._

 _-Sincerely yours,  
_ _Queen Arthur III of the Spadian Empire_

 _P.S: Your King is quite handsome. I would hang onto him ;)_

When he finished reading the letter, he ripped the post-script, crumpled it, burned it, and then threw the ashes outside the window, while screaming "IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO THIS CHARMER, YOU ARE A BLOODY GIT! I WOULD NEVER, EVER FALL FOR A PERSON WHO IS LIKE MY OWN BROTHER, YOU WANKER!"

After warning the soothsayer Queen, he returned to bed where he placed the envelope and the letters. He folded the letters neatly, and was about to place it back inside, when he noticed a small piece inside. He took the piece, placed the letters inside, and read the writings on the smaller piece,

 _No need to shout, love. I'm always watching, and I know you love him in a brotherly way. That post-script is just a way for you to forget the problem, even if for only a moment. And thanks ;) -Artie III_

"He really is the greatest Queen of the Spades, I really admire him," Arthur said with a smile. He re-read the small message for him, and something stuck out of the ordinary, "'Thanks'? But, what is he tha- oh, you fortune teller."

He returns the piece of paper back inside the envelope with the others, and placed it inside the drawer of his bedside table, and laid down on the bed, thinking of meeting with the other Spadian Royals tomorrow. " _I must give them the Cards tomorrow, so that the two of them would know how to use them_ ," he thought to himself as sleep invaded him.

But, unbeknownst to Arthur, a shrill screamed echoed in the forest bordering the Spade Kingdom from the Clubs Kingdom. A single man, with blood dripping from his coat, stood in front of a heap of mutilated bodies in a clearing. He looked up into the bright full moon, and smiled maniacally, "My Empress, I will purge this land of all that defies you, as ordered by your creation, the White Rabbit."

 _To be continued…_

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A/n: Did anyone get it when the Charmer said thanks? Oh, and I said that this chapter is when they'll fight Matthias, right? Sorry if it's delayed, but this chapter is needed for the story. Thanks for reading, and reviews are welcome!


	7. Chapter 7

It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, on days like this, Alfred Jones, the King of Spades, should take everything easily, but the first thing he received early in the morning is a dreadful message. He was just heading to the throne room to attend to his people's needs, when a messenger stopped him from opening the door.

"YOUR HIGHNESS! I HAVE SOMETHING URGENT TO TELL!" the messenger, a young, fast-footed man with a somewhat weird curl sticking up his head, shouted as soon as he saw the King. But due to the importance of the message, he forgot that the floor near the throne room was just polished and waxed, making him slide towards Alfred and slammed on him.

The two of them were tangled and sustained a small bump on the messenger's head, and a small cut on Alfred's lip. After untangling themselves, Alfred quickly pushed the man off of him, "What's the message, Marcello?"

"Ouchies… Ah yes! At the Border Forest, multiple killings have happened at the span of 10 hours. The people near the forest are starting to evacuate due to fear. The weird thing is, only citizens of the Spades Kingdom are killed, and none of the ones from the Clubs are touched." Marcello reported as he stood up. That is weird; the Border Forest is a gray area for the Spades and Clubs Kingdom. The border for the two kingdoms lies in the middle, but being the only place where to find a large deposit of orichalcum and mythril wood, the two Kingdoms agree that the Forest can be mined by both Kingdoms, and the jurisdiction of the two countries lies up to the edges of the forest on both sides, meaning, both countries have control over the forest.

Alfred stood up, straightened his clothes, and healed the small bump on the messenger's head, and the small wound on his own lip, "Summon the Royals to the conference room post-haste."

At the conference room, Alfred sat at the northern side of the round table, waiting anxiously for the two to arrive. He was reading a copy of the reports from every village near the forest, with testimonies from the ones who survived, mostly people from the Clubs who are near their side of the forest and took refuge from the villages. He has just finished reading the last of the reports when, Arthur Kirkland and Wang Yao, the Queen and Jack, respectively, came in with is half-brother, Matthew Williams. Alfred waited for everyone to settle in before he started speaking,

"I think you have already heard from Marcello why I have summoned you here, but, I will repeat what he has probably said. Last night, killings have been reported at the Border Forest, I have copies of the reports from eye witnesses, who are mostly people of the Clubs; please refer to them on the folders in front of you."

Arthur quickly scanned the folder, "Mutilated beyond recognition, huh? And the only targets are our people. It's probably the work of Matthias."

Everyone in the room looked at Arthur questioningly; all have the same question in their head. It was the Jack who asked the question everyone wanted to ask, "Who is that, aru?"

"General Matthias Kølher, Alice of Spades."

Silence permeated the air. The Royals only looked at each other, before Matthew spoke, "The seal has been broken already? So… we're starting the Hunt?"

Arthur nodded, "Yes, love; we're the first one on the list."

"So, how do we defeat him?" Alfred asked.

"Well, according to the letter I have received, he's a melee fighter wielding a big axe. He is fast, but his attacks are uncoordinated. The strategy is that you two divert his attention from me, while I deal the finishing blow."

"You're the one to deal the finishing blow, aru? Not the King?" Yao questioned. He was expecting Arthur to answer when, an unknown voice spoke

"Actually, it's all of you."

The Royals look at the source of the voice, it came from Matthew. But, instead of the shy violet-eyed blonde everyone was used to, the person with them who looks like Matthew has glistening white hair, ruby-red eyes and he holds an air of confidence around him, "Yup, all three of you will deal the finishing blow. When Artiekins here releases the Seal of the Four, the two of you must strike him at the precise moment the spell hits. Don't worry though; the Cards can time your strikes, so just trust 'em."

Before anyone could properly react, Alfred is already beside Matthew, pointing a crystal-like dagger at the now white-haired man, "Who are you? What have you done with my brother?"

The man smirked as he slowly pushed the dagger away from his neck, "I've heard you're the Spades King with the least magical aptitude, but you've slowed time by 80%, summon a dagger with a haemophilia spell mid-chant of your first spell, and pointed it precisely 5 mm on your brother's neck. I'm impressed, even Sapphix could not pull this without accidentally piercing his target's neck."

Alfred didn't answer, instead he moved the dagger closer to his brother's neck, "Answer me, who are you? Are you using my brother as a medium? I might let you know that this dagger has a Soul Search spell on it, and FYI it is a spell Artie made to damage the ones possessing, and _only_ the ones possessing."

Matthew, or whoever is in him, pushed the dagger away again, stood up, and bowed exaggeratedly, "Joker Gilbert Beilschmidt, at your service. Oh, and if you're wondering, Birdie allowed me to use him as a medium. We Jokers are not in the area, and opening up a wormhole from where we are to here is tiresome."

"Ah, the annoying Joker is here, aru. I sincerely hope it was the Queen's relative whom we get to talk to, aru." Yao said, crossing his arms.

Matthew, or in this case, Gilbert, shrugged as he sat down again, still smiling smugly, "He's way busier than me, so he sent me."

"So, what is a Joker doing possessing the King's half-brother?" Arthur asked.

"We felt the seal breaking last night. Other than the Royals, the Jokers are also important in the Hunt. That's the reason why we're made in the first place," came Gilbert's reply.

That made the three's eyebrows rise, "You're made to stop the Alices?" Alfred asked.

"Yup, more than a thousand years ago."

"So, you have connections to the Queen, aru?" It was Yao who asked now.

Gilbert's face suddenly looked serious that it surprised the three Royals, "Look, while we're talking right now, Matthias is out there, far from the Red Spade Tree where he was imprisoned, and is prowling the Border Forest as we speak. After he kills every Spade in that forest, he will move towards the capital, killing everything in his path. Do we seriously have the time to talk about history?"

Arthur sighed, "He is correct. Right now, our main focus is the Alice. We need to make a plan to fight him. But first, I have to give you these."

Arthur hands out the two Trump Cards to the other Royals. The two inspects the items that were given to them, and after a moment, a faint glow was emitted from the Cards and a surge of magic came forth, granting the three of them greater magical capacity. But, apart from the magic boost that they gained, they have learned something more powerful, a spell to summon weapons, but the echoing voice told them that they must only summon the weapon at the time of their greatest need, for it is only once that they could summon the weapon safely.

After gaining the boost and spell, the three looked at each other, their faces displaying the same astonished and questioning look. They looked at Gilbert, who looked at them with a raised eyebrow, "What? What're ya lookin' at me like that?"

"Well, my magic was boosted, and I was given a summoning spell. I'm sure you guys got them too, right?" Alfred asked, and the other two nodded.

"So the knowledge's been transferred; time to plan this assault," Gilbert said seriously. The three Royals nodded and returned to their seats, focusing on the blonde man, "The best time to attack Matthias is when he is still near the vicinity of the tree where he was sealed, the Red Spade Tree. I've fought him before, he's not a guy for tactics but instead, he will just brandish that ridiculously big axe of his. You might think that the axe might slow him down, but because of the enchantment on the axe that makes it light to the user, he can move very fast. Disarming him before dealing the final blow is the best plan."

"Is that all, aru?" Yao asked.

"Oh yeah, he's quite hot-headed. Insult the Alice of Hearts, Lovice Bondevik being ugly and weak, and he will probably go ballistic, and his attacks will be more uncoordinated. Also, telling bad things about his hair is quite effective too," the ruby-eyed man said with a smirk.

"He has something to do with the Alice of Hearts?" Arthur asked, curious of what the relations of the two Alices.

"They're a couple before they turned into Alices. So, do we have a plan?" Gilbert asked and eyed each and every one of them.

The Royals first shared a look and then nodded. "Good, tonight, we hunt," Gilbert said before his eyes went lifeless, then turned back into violet, the man's hair also turned back to its original blonde, "Eh? What happened?"

* * *

 _At a clearing in the Border Forest, dusk._

As dusk settles, the sky turned from blue to purple, before turning into fiery vermilion, plunging the world in the same colour. A solitary man in the middle of a clearing is looking up the colourful sky, his eyes absorbing all of the colours. He just stood there until the sky became black, and dots of stars and a full moon appeared.

"Beautiful," he whispered and kept his eyes skyward. After a moment, the edge of the moon started to change colour, the once silver moon is turning into blood red, and after a few moments the whole thing turned red.

"Even more beautiful," the man whispered again, but this time, instead of continuing his gaze at the sky, he looked down towards his front, extended his right hand as if inviting someone and spoke, "It's going to be a beautiful night. Won't you four come share it with me? We could have a ball here; with our clashing blades providing the symphony, and magic providing us with fairy lights, making this night prettier than ever. Come now, Royals of the Spades Kingdom and the Left Joker, join me in this _danse macabre*._ "

A moment passed, and four persons came out from the trees, wearing clothing that fitted a person of high standing; three of them wore blue, while one wears black, but nevertheless, still looked regal. The man in black bowed low, and spoke when he straightened up, "We, the Royals of Time and the Joker Who Stands at the Left of the Empress, humbly accept you invitation, Alice of Murder."

 _To be continued…_

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* _danse macabre_ is French for 'dance of death'

Another update! Sorry it was quite late because I've been busy with stuff. The second semester is almost closing, and we still have lots of stuff to do. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, reviews are highly welcome!


	8. Chapter 8

"Gilbert Beilschmidt, the Empress' fool, it's an honour to see you. Last time it was that jester who faced me," the Alice said, still smiling widely.

Gilbert was obviously irritated by what the Alice said, but nonetheless, still had his composed look, "It's 'Joker', Kølher, and Kirkland's no jester."

"If you say so, fool. You three must be the Royals of the Spades Kingdom," he said as he turned and looked at the three Royals, "You, King, are you related to Lord Sapphix?"

"I am his descendant," Alfred said, his grip on the Card on his right hand tightening.

"There is a resemblance. And I take the one with the thick eyebrows is your Queen? A Kirkland, I might take?" Arthur nodded. He then turned his attention to Yao, "And you're a Wang?

When Yao nodded, the Alice laughed out loud. After his fit of laughter, he wiped the tear at the corner of his right eye and said, "What is this, a play of destiny? The descendants of the ones who sealed me are here!"

"And we're here to seal you again," Yao said, and summoned his weapon, a _fangtian ji_ with a golden dragon wrapping on the bright red pole, and blue gems on the side blades. The others followed suit, Arthur took his Queen's Watch and placed the Card on it, making it a more powerful magic amplification device than before; Alfred summoned a glistening Zweihänder, with a blue gem on its pommel, and an ancient spell engraved on the blade.

When the three had summoned their weapons, they looked at Gilbert, who is chanting in an unknown language. After he finishes his chant, Gilbert looked up, took out his trident from his pocket, and pointed it at Matthias, "Alice Matthias Kølher, by the authority granted by the White Empress, we will destroy you."

Just as Gilbert finished what he is saying, Matthias appeared in front of him and swung his big axe upwards. Luckily, due to his quick reflex, the Joker evaded the attacked, and countered with the attack with a lunge of the trident on the Alice's chest, which he easily evaded.

The two Royals, sans Arthur, joined the battle; Alfred jumped and swung the heavy sword, but it only hit the ground. Yao followed up with lightning-fast lunges, but the Alice is much faster than they anticipated. He smiled at Yao and swung the axe on his shoulders sideward. Before Yao could even guard, the axe is already at his side, he expected that it'll cut through him, he closed his eyes and resigned himself; but what he didn't expect is that Alfred slowed time, and ran to guard him with his sword, the force of the strike blowing them away.

"Just like Lord Sapphix, his time-manipulation skills are top-class! I barely noticed him weaving time spells before he appeared before the Jack! Oh, this is going to be fun!" The Alice said, his eyes glistening like a child.

Matthias was walking towards the still somewhat disoriented Royals when a portal opened up beside him and icicles burst out from the portal. The Alice immediately twirled the axe, crushing the incoming icicles before reaching him.

Matthias entered the portal and immediately swung his axe, which Gilbert dodged easily, he then immediately casted a binding spell at Gilbert, who didn't have time to react, "You think that's gonna stop me, fool? The jester's more graceful than you are."

The Alice was about to swing his axe, when something pierced his leg. "Don't forget about us!" Yao shouted. He apparently threw his _fangtian ji_ at Matthias with great accuracy.

"Ouch?" Matthias looked at his leg and pulled the halberd from his leg, and threw it aside, "Now they knew how to dance at this ball."

Alfred, who is now recovered, stood up and dashed towards the Alice, then swung at his side, which the Alice evaded, but grazed his arm. The King immediately stopped the Alice's time, but the spell quickly broke, but he still thrust his sword, which pierced Matthias' side.

"Why? Why didn't it work?" Alfred asked as he pierced deeper.

Matthias spat blood at Alfred and swung his axe, "It's because one of the fundamental magic that created us is time, that's why hitting us with time magic is useless, but if it's an area-effect magic, well, we're affected to some degree."

Alfred evaded the attack just in time for a rain of spears falling down from above. He looked at Yao, and it was indeed him casting the spell. Alfred took the chance for this distraction, and took the _fangtian ji_ and threw it at Yao, who evaded the sharp tip and caught the handle. He glared at his King, but immediately dashed to block the attack of the Alice Alfred didn't notice.

The fight continued, with both sides not giving up. It was after 10 minutes or so, before the summoned weapons glowed. "The spell's ready!" Gilbert shouted, "I'll prepare something! You two cover me and keep him busy!"

The Royals confirmed, and kept Matthias busy. It was harder without Gilbert, but the two tried their best not to let him to the two casting spells. After a moment, a portal opened up below Matthias, which immediately transported him right above Gilbert, who immediately struck the ground with his trident, and black spikes erupted forth. "Gotcha, Matthias!" Gilbert whispered.

Without any foothold, Matthias couldn't evade, and what more, Yao used gravity magic on him to hasten his fall. In a matter of seconds, spikes went through Matthias' body. "It's the end, Matthias. I really want to drink beer with you again," Gilbert said as he pulled his trident from the ground and the Royals closed in to pierce the Alice and Arthur casting the spell when,

"I want to drink beer with you too, Gilbert. You're a very fun guy when you're drunk."

Arthur's spell was cut short as the four looked at the mutilated body, who, is pushing up from the spikes and jumping down to the ground, with gaping holes all around, and even some, if not all of his entrails leaking out from them; but what surprised the four is that the entrails and blood that splattered all around are returning to the body, and when all of them returned, the holes on the skin and the clothes closed up. "Let's have a stein after this, okay?"

 _To be continued…_

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A/n: Another update, yay! Fight scenes are really not my forte, I suck at this… This is me right now - OTL


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